The Escort
by TwiliDragonRin
Summary: Modern AU. Samus Aran was offered a mission that she could honestly refuse as soon as she heard it. An escort mission to the neighboring country. Seeing as she needs the money, she takes on the offer of escorting Zelda to the next country over.


**A/N: I want to say thank you so much for all of the support. I'm sorry that this will be the last story for a while but me writing romance is not going to help my situation. Please enjoy this story (because damn this is the first time I wrote a one chapter story). Feedback is always helpful.**  
 **May you all have a lovely time and until then, I'll see you next time.**

* * *

Samus stared at the large building that stood before her. She was called upon to take a supposedly important mission that she has no details about. Only that a man by the name of Daphness Harkinian has requested to see her as soon as she has seen the request. So there she was now, wondering what kind of assignment would be given to her.

She entered the building and noticed the expensive interior decoration. The lobby had various types of couches and vases scattered through out the room with a fountain in the center, a fountain. A goddamn fountain with a pedestal containing three triangles stacked on top of one another.

 _'Just what kind of person was this Daphness?'_ Samus thought.

"Out of the way!"

Samus turned her head and saw a pair of sapphire eyes staring right at her. After a quick blink, the women charging towards her crashed into her and they both fell on the ground. Samus rubbed her head and groaned.

"Damn you hit hard," Samus muttered under her breath.

"I'm so sorry," the woman apologized. "I should have been looking where I was going."

"It's fine, forget about it."

Samus gathered the paper that scattered around her and handed them over to the woman. With her gladly taking the paper, Samus took the opportunity to study the features. Her brown hair braided down to the very tip with her bangs free from being pulled back for the hairstyle. She wore a red tank top and grey skirt accompanied with a white coat and glasses. The woman's eyes met with Samus' once again. Samus turned away only for the woman to smile.

"Again, I'm very sorry. I was late for a meeting with my boss and I had to hurry. I should have moved out of the way." The woman bowed her head only for Samus to hold her hand out. Picking her head up, the woman took Samus' hand and helped her up. "Thank you..."

"Like I said, it's fine." After putting her hands in her pockets, Samus said, "You better hurry and leave before you get chewed out by your boss."

The woman's eyes went wide and nodded. "R-right! I'll, uhm, thank you!" With that, she ran off into the elevator.

 _'Strange girl. Wonder why they have employees like her? Never mind that.'_ Samus walked over to the front desk. "Hey, I was called in to take a job by Daphness Harkinian.

The lady with green hair in the front desk pulled her head away from the computer monitor and stared at Samus. The first thing she noticed about how Samus was dressed was the jean jacket that she wore. With a crinkle of her nose, she typed in a few keys on the keyboard.

"Your name?" the lady asked.

"You know my name," Samus glared.

"It's regulations."

"Palutena."

The lady behind the desk returned the glare. With a sigh, Samus spoke.

"Samus Aran.

"Aran. Aran," Palutena muttered. "Says here that you've been asked to do a favor for Mr. Harkinian."

With a groan, Samus replied harshly. "That's exactly what I said."

"Temper Samus, you know you have to watch that temper of yours." She smiled knowing that she was right and Samus hated when she was right. Taking a slip of pink paper, she wrote down something and handed it over to Samus. "Take it, if anyone asks for a pass or whatever you show them this and they will let you go. Head to the twenty-second floor and Mr. Harkinian will be behind large double doors."

"Got it."

Samus walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened and right when she was about to enter, Palutena spoke up.

"Knowing that they're asking for your help, I know that this mission will be a problem. Know that if something happens, Mr. Harkinian has connections that can make you disappear from the face of the Earth."

"Is that all?" Samus scoffed.

"You seriously don't get it." Palutena sighed, "please, just be careful."

Without a word, Samus walked into the elevator.

...

"Hold it right there." A guard who looked like a fox walked over to Samus as she got out of the elevator. "What are you doing up here? Do you have business with Mr. Harkinian?"

"My name is Samus Aran." She pulled out the pink slip of paper that Palutena gave her and handed it to the fox guard. "I was personally called in to see Daphness."

The guard inspected the slip and returned it to Samus. "Alright, you can go in. Falco, knock on the door and open it for her."

The blue bird guard who went by the name of Falco knocked on the door then opened it. Samus passed by the first guard and walked in the door as Falco closed it.

It was a large room indeed fit for double doors as an entrance. It was an office with the cliche desk and a large chair behind it and a wall of glass windows behind that. A man, a bit large with a grey mustache and beard sat on the chair dressed in a red suit. The same triangles from the lobby hung on the wall behind the man. Next to the man, the woman from early stood with her hands behind her back.

 _'It's her.'_

"Samus Aran," the man spoke. "I believe you already know who I am but just so I won't be rude. I am Daphness Harkinian, CEO of the Hylia Industries. I know you're wondering why I sent a message to your office saying that I have urgent business with you."

"So what, do you want me to take a guy out? Protect you? Work for you?"

"I want you to escort my daughter. We need to check on how our marketing has been doing over in the next country over and she can be the only one to do this. You will take her to the main city of the Mushroom Kingdom and visit our sister building only for inspection and then you will leave. Since Hylia Industries is a major world wide company, there are competitors who want to take the opportunity and take care of my daughter."

"And this is where I come in?"

"Yes. I do not trust anyone else, not even my best men to be in charge of this task." Daphness lowered his head and chuckled. "I mean, I do not trust you one bit since you're willing to do anything that pays well, but I do know you're good at your job and I need that now." Leaning against the desk, he stared at the woman and said, "Will you take the offer?"

"How much is the pay?" Samus asked bluntly.

"Since I own such a grand company, I can honestly say that I can pay a hefty amount."

"Fine then. So where's your daughter? I would like to get going right away."

Daphness chuckled once again. "Samus, you're looking at her."

Her eyes glanced over at the woman next to Daphness. She lowered her head and pushed her glasses, knowing that both of their eyes are on her.

 _'Her?'_

"But I thought you said you had a meeting with your boss," Samus spoke up surprising both Daphness and the woman.

"I-I do. My father is my boss, I take care of the little things for him."

Daphness broke up the conversation by interrupting in. "Miss Aran, you are to be entrusted with the life of my daughter, Zelda Harkinian. Watch her every move, do not let her out of your sight and if anything happens to her," he paused. "There will be dire consequences." The atmosphere in the room changed drastically.

Zelda placed a hand on Daphness' shoulder. "Father, I know Samus will do her best to make sure nothing happens. She is the best after all."

"I know so, but still. You are my daughter first and my secretary second, if anything happens to you-"

"I will be fine." She smiled and walked over to Samus. "I shall gather my things and meet you down in the first floor. Afterwards we'll head to your home so you can pack up, we'll be gone for more than just a day you know. I'll see you in a few minutes." Flashing Samus another smile, Zelda took her leave.

"She's kind, but I worry about her sometimes." Daphness stared at Samus. "Remember what I told you, go into the city then check the stock and leave. Nothing else. Make with the haste because the longer Zelda is out there, the more danger she is in."

"Yeah, yeah I got it." She turned herself around and headed for the door.

The taxi cab stopped in front of a damaged apartment building then Samus and Zelda got out of the cab.

"Is this where you live?" Zelda spoke as Samus opened the front door.

"Yeah, hope you don't have too much of a problem with that. If you do well then too bad." She walked in while Zelda tilted her head.

"Harsh," she muttered as she followed Samus.

The lobby (if you could call it that) was slightly dark with the lights dimmed. The wallpaper was peeling off from certain parts of the room showing off the wooden boards behind them. There was a desk in the back of the room and a man with blond hair sat behind it. A shelf contained with rows of keys hung behind him, glass acted as a mini door for the shelf.

'I wonder if he's the one who keeps the keys sorted out?' Zelda thought.

Samus walked towards the desk and leaned against it. "Hey Shulk."

"Ah Samus, back on time. How was the meeting?" the man named Shulk asked as he sat up.

"I was given the job, I took it, now I have to go back to my room."

"Your room, why?" Shulk spun his chair around and opened the door for the shelf.

"I have to do something for the man that hired me," Samus groaned. Zelda noticed the hint of bitterness in her tone.

Shulk gave Samus a pair of keys. "So who's the chick behind you?"

"My name is Zelda Har-"

"She's a friend," Samus interrupted.

Shulk laughed at her response. "She's you're friend? Samus, since when have you had friends?"

"I've kept her a secret, now knock it off Shulk. I'm going to my room and she's coming up with me."

With a wave of his hand, Shulk bid both of the women farewell as they headed up the stairs. Walking up several floors, they went through one of the doors leading them into the fourth floor. Samus led Zelda to the first door on their right and opened the door with the key that Shulk gave her.

There wasn't much to the apartment room. There was a fridge and sink to the left, a couch on the right and a small television in front of the couch and that was it for the room they entered in. As Zelda walked in, she saw two doors to the far right next to the couch with one probably leading into a bathroom or the closet. This is where Samus lived?

"Just sit on the couch or stay standing until I get my bag ready," Samus said as she headed into one of the doors.

Zelda sat down on the couch and felt herself slouch down a bit. _'It feels really worn out, does Samus sleep here every night? It would explain why should would have the mood that she's having. Though, I would feel the same way if I were to live in a place like this...'_ she shook her head. _'It's rude to think about such things.'_

Samus walked out of the closet with a duffle bag in hand. "I'm ready to go. Let's get going so we can get there faster."

"Why are you in a rush?" Zelda asked Samus as they both exited the apartment room.

The taller blond locked the door with the keys. "I'm always like that. I just want to get through the mission and go on with my life."

"You just want to get your reward?"

Samus growled. "Look, I don't want to come up with small chit chat with you. That's not what I was hired for, so lets get going."

With a heavy sigh, Zelda quietly followed her bodyguard down the first floor. Shulk bid farewell to Samus and Zelda as they headed out through the front door. Zelda got in the back seat of the taxicab and Samus threw her duffle bag into the trunk then sitting in the passenger's seat. The cab driver started up the car and drove off, everyone sat in silence as they drove.

Zelda tapped Samus' shoulder and broke the silence by asking, "How will we get to the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"The driver will take us to the airport and from there, we'll just fly over to the country. If your father really wants this seen through, then by the time we get to the Mushroom Kingdom's airport, there should be someone who can lend us a car for us to use. From there, I'll just take you to the capital."

"How do you know where the capital is?"

"I've been there several times to take on jobs, so I know my way around."

"Interesting."

The blue haired cab driver spoke up, "So ladies, it will take at least thirty minutes until get get to the airport. I do hope you have the money to pay for it."

Samus rolled her eyes. "I got it covered, Ike. Just shut up and keep driving."

"Yeah, yeah, keep your tone down."

Zelda looked over at Samus. "My Samus, you know so many people in the city."

"Sure, I guess."

 _'There she goes being rude again...'_ Zelda sighed. _'I don't understand why I try.'_

...

The cab jerked into a complete stop and forced Zelda to wake up from her sleep. The groggy woman shook her head and tried to focus her vision on what was going on outside the window.

"Hey, girl!" Ike's voice echoed. Zelda tried following where the voice came from. "Hurry and get out of the car! Samus is waiting for you in the alley!"

The sound of gun shots jolted Zelda out of her groggy state and frantically opened the cab door with her tumbling down on the ground. She picked her head up and noticed Samus carrying their bags in the alleyway, motioning for her to follow the bodyguard. Getting up from the ground, Zelda rushed over to the alleyway.

"There she is!" a random voice shouted from behind her.

"Get out of here Samus! Hurry!" Ike roared. "I'll take care of them from here!"

As Zelda approached the alley, Samus grabbed the woman by the arm and pulled her in with her. They both ran down the alley, avoiding the dumpsters and ladders that got in their way.

"S-Samus! I...I can't-"

"You can't stop! Keep running!"

"I-I can't...!"

"Catch them!" a female's voice screamed from behind. "They're slowing down!"

Samus cursed under her breath. She stopped and lifted Zelda up, carrying her in a bridal style then continued running. After getting out of the alley, Samus bolted down the street filled with cars rushing by as they honked at them. The pursuers stopped in their tracks, seeing as the women are long gone after the road became clear.

"Damn it," the blue haired pursuer cursed.

"Lucina!" a man with a green hat and an 'L' on the center. "Two of our men have been killed in the shoot out."

"Did the man who opposed us fall victim?"

"He's been eliminated as we speak ma'm."

Lucina sighed. "At least something good did come out of this. Because at this rate, the CEO's daughter will get away before we even get a clue as to where she is."

The man tapped her shoulder. "But Lucina, if the boss told us that she's headed to the Mushroom Kingdom, doesn't that mean they'll head to the airport?"

"By now, they know that someone is following them." She crossed her arms then continued, "With that thought in mind, it will mean that they will stay away from the airport where elimination could be a guarantee."

"So what do we do?"

Thinking about her idea carefully, she looked over at the man and smiled. "Luigi, see if you can get someone on the phone for me."

...

After running for several miles, Samus stopped behind a convenient store and knelt on the ground, panting. She let Zelda go who sat next to the blond woman.

"I think...we got...away from them..." Samus said in between breaths. She calmed herself and leaned against the wall. "Didn't expect an ambush like that. Not right way at least. Ugh, fuck, I shouldn't have let my guard down for a second."

"Did any of them hurt you?" Zelda asked.

"No, I killed one of the people shooting instead."

Zelda's eyes grew wide. "You...killed them?"

Samus rolled her eyes, finding Zelda's naive reactions annoying. "They were trying to kill us, I just did their job better than they ever could."

"You...didn't have to kill them you know."

"I can honestly believe that you're saying this." Samus got up on her feet and picked up the bags she dropped. "Let's go, the sun's setting and we're going to stop at an inn for tonight. Luckily I had the idea to run near one."

Zelda also stood up. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Won't they find us if we stop for the night?"

"It's better if we rest for one day. Besides, you've seen something that clearly shook you up so you need this more than I do. I don't want you holding us back like you did back there."

Zelda lowered her gaze at the ground. Samus begun to walk away and the girl followed suit quietly. A mile ahead was the inn Samus spoke about. It was small with only eight rooms to stay in, the outside was clean and the sign had all the neon lights working. It looked peaceful.

Upon arriving at the front entrance, Samus dropped the bags next to Zelda. "Alright, you're going to stay here while I get us rooms for the night. Don't move and if anyone you think may come and attack you then go inside and come get me." Getting a nod as response from Zelda, Samus entered the inn leaving the brunet alone.

It was getting darker. Zelda didn't know what to expect during the rest of the trip, she didn't think she would experience some sort of shoot out during the trip much less expect one during the first day. The young woman shut her eyes tight. She remembered a trace of blue following behind her and Samus through the alleyway. As they ran Zelda dared not to look back, all she could think about was that the blue haired person was aiming the gun at her. A gun. She nearly died. Why would her father put her through something as horrible as this if he knew this would happen. Maybe that's why he hired Samus to take care of her.

 _'The best of the best right? Yet it doesn't make me feel any better.'_

A hand touched her shoulder which caused the young woman to jump. Samus stood in front of her with a key in her hand.

"You okay?" Samus asked.

"I...yes." Zelda took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. "Yes I'm alright, thank you for asking." She bent over and picked up both bags. "Is that the key?"

"Yeah. Room seven is what the owner said."

"Good," Zelda smiled. "Then it must be at the other side."

She begun to walk across the parking lot with Samus trailing right behind. It wasn't like Samus didn't notice the distress in Zelda's face. It was clear as day that daddy's little girl was in shock with the events that just transpired and who wouldn't? Samus remembered how it felt the first time she had to deal with such things, she still got nightmares.

 _'Would the same thing happen to her?'_ the blond thought.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she unlocked the room and they both entered. It was a small room with one bed in the center and a couch near the door. A small TV stood on top of a counter directly across the bed with an air conditioner lodged against the window above the couch. That would make for the person who sleeps on the couch freezing tonight. In the far right corner there's a door that led to the bathroom.

Samus closed the door and locked it while Zelda just dropped the bags right next to the bed. Samus sat on the couch and closed the blinds so she won't have any unwanted guests watching through the window. Zelda ran into the bathroom and shut the door a little too harshly. Samus pushed any thoughts aside. Knowing that daddy's little girl would want to sleep in comfort, she lied her body on the couch and waited for Zelda to get out of the bathroom.

Zelda washed her face with the cold running water then leaned against the sink. Her breath shuddered, having her thoughts rush back in all at once. She stared at herself in the mirror.

 _'Calm down, Zelda. You're fine, you're alive. There's nothing to be worried about.'_ She sighed. "That's easier said than done. I need to sleep..."

Zelda walked out of the bathroom and stared at Samus. "Why are you on the couch?" she asked.

"I'm sleeping here."

"Are you sure that you don't want to sleep on the bed?"

Samus didn't respond. She turned her body around with her back facing Zelda. With a shrug of her shoulders, Zelda pulled the bed sheets and lied down on the bed. She looked at Samus one last time then stared up at the ceiling.

"What's going to happen tomorrow...?" she muttered before closing her eyes then drifting to sleep.

...

Samus woke up to a scream. She jumped up from the couch and was about to pull out a hand gun from her pocket when she turned her head and noticed Zelda sitting up on the bed. Samus pulled her hand away from her hand gun and rushed over to the brunet. She noticed the young woman was trembling and drenched in sweat. She knew that reaction.

"What happened?" Samus asked softly, sitting down on the bed next to Zelda. "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine," Zelda's voice quivered. "I just...had a nightmare." She pressed her palms against her eyes and breathed out.

The older woman couldn't help but press on. "What was it about? Was it because of the shooting today?"

"Yeah...I-I...saw them. Her."

Samus blinked. _'Her?'_

"A...a woman...that woman, the one with blue hair that followed us in the alley," Zelda spoke frantically. "She found us. Found me. She-" The brunet paused then stared directly in Samus' eyes. "You're alive...!"

"Ali-" Samus cut herself off when Zelda jumped into the blond's arms. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and looked down at Zelda. "Why are you-"

"She killed you...the blue haired woman killed you," Zelda cried. "I'm terrified Samus! I'm really terrified for this, it's just the first day and we both nearly died! I don't want you to die just because my father hired you to take a bullet for me!"

"Shh-shh," Samus cooed. "Look, nothing happened okay? Everything's fine."

"How can you be so sure?!"

With a heavy sigh, Samus pushed Zelda's head against her chest with the younger woman's ear pressed against her. Listening to Samus' beating heart calmed Zelda to a point where she tried to stifle her tears to listen better. Samus didn't know why she did this, she just knew it would gather her attention.

"You hear it right?" Zelda nodded. "This proves that I'm completely fine, okay? I'm still alive, I'm still here, so don't worry." She didn't get a response from Zelda. She didn't know what else to do or say, this was something different since her other clients never got this touchy-feely in front of her.

 _'Guess this proves how much you've been sheltered through out your life...'_

Both women pulled away and Samus saw Zelda's cheeks tint a slight red. She brushed it off and was about to stand up until Zelda grabbed her wrist.

Zelda muttered quietly, "D-Don't...um. Please, sleep with me...I'm not sure if I can handle another nightmare like that."

"Uh, sure I guess."

Pulling the covers aside, Zelda moved to the side to make room as Samus nudged her way onto the bed. She pulled the covers over both of them and lay back on her side with Samus doing the same. Both women stared into each other's eyes. Samus noticed Zelda was searching for something within her, she didn't know what but it was something.

With another more noticeable blush creeping on her cheeks, Zelda closed her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep which she eventually did. Samus continued to watch the woman in front of her sleep, watching for any signs of her nightmare returning. Zelda's face scrunched up slightly as the nightmare seemed to be returning. The blond reached out and touched her cheek, surprised when she saw Zelda calming down at her touch.

She never saw this before, someone who found comfort in her touch. When Samus pulled her hand away, she saw the same fear return to Zelda. Without thinking, she inched closer to the woman and draped an arm over her. She was taken by surprise when Zelda ended up smiling faintly. Samus moved a bit closer then brought Zelda into her embrace, she felt the younger woman's warm breath against her neck and suppressed a gasp.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

...

Morning rolled around and Zelda yawned, waking up from her sleep. She opened her eyes to noticed that she was in close proximity with Samus, too close. In fact the bodyguard was holding her closely which seemed like something that would never have happened with this person.

After having her senses fully operative, Zelda felt how unbearably warm she was. More specifically, feeling Samus' warm touch linger all over the places where her hand came into contact with Zelda's skin. Zelda's heart thudded in her chest. She liked it, being held this way by this woman. She didn't move, she didn't want it to end.

Upon staring at Samus' sleeping form, Zelda couldn't help but reach up and touch her cheek. _'A-Alright, now pull away,'_ she thought. With no luck on making herself pull away from the touch, Zelda just kept her hand at the same spot. She smiled faintly for she saw no signs of Samus waking up soon. All the more reason for this contact that she didn't know she yearned. Zelda closed her eyes and nuzzled her face against her bodyguard's chest.

Two hours later, Samus woke up to find herself alone on the bed. She rose frantically until she caught the sight of a half naked Zelda dressing herself. She stepped into a red dress and pulled it upwards, sliding her arms into the sleeves. The dress itself stretched down to her ankles with a portion of the back of the dress unzipped. The blood rushed up to Samus' cheeks.

Zelda stared at herself through the mirror, fixing her hair in the process. She grabbed her glasses that were sitting on the counter and cleaned them with a cloth. Zelda jumped when she felt a pair of fingers graze her back gently, shivers went down her spine. When she looked up, she saw Samus was standing behind her through the reflection of the mirror.

"So why decide to wear a dress today?" the woman behind her asked in a low voice.

"Why not go in a more formal dress and before you comment on me wearing it-yes I am able to run in it if we need to be. Trust me, I'm more than capable in running in my dresses-" Zelda cut herself off as she felt the zipper on her back being pulled up. "Th-thank you, I wasn't sure if I could have reached it."

"No problem. Though it was a bold move just changing in front of me even if I was asleep."

Zelda moved away from Samus and faced her. "You were awake?! Oh goddesses, I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," Samus chuckled. "I'm going to shower real quick then we're leaving."

"Oh, before you do-is there anything you want to eat? It's better to get in breakfast before we go."

Samus shrugged. "Sure, you're right so we'll go to the convenient store and buy something." Grabbing a towel, she walked into the bathroom.

Zelda didn't want to wait for Samus. She grabbed her bag taking the key in one hand and ran out of the inn room.

As Samus walked out of the room, dressed in the same outfit that she wore the day before, she noticed that Zelda was no where in the room. She reached to her back pocket to reach out for her pistol when she realized that she left it in her bag. She cursed herself and dashed over to the bag across the room where she heard the door's lock open. Before Samus did anything, she watched Zelda walk through the door with a bag in hand and smile at her bodyguard.

"Well I hope you had a lovely shower because I got us breakfast," Zelda said happily.

"You left without me?" Samus asked as she stood up.

"Yes, I'm sorry for leaving like I did but I had to buy breakfast for you so you can enjoy it soon afterwards."

Flashing her another smile, Zelda walked to her neatly made bed and sat down, petting the room next to her urging Samus to sit with her. Samus did as Zelda asked and sat down on the bed next to her. Zelda took out something wrapped in tin foil and handed it over to the woman.

"I wasn't sure what you like, so I asked them to make you a breakfast taco. Ham and eggs wrapped up in soft tortillas. I hope you enjoy it."

"You actually got breakfast for me?" Samus looked at her. "When I said we would get breakfast, I meant like from the snacks, I never said anything about getting actual breakfast."

Zelda's gaze hit the ground. "O-oh, I thought...oh...I'm sorry, I misunderstood."

"Hey, that's not what I meant. I only said that because I don't have enough money to pay for actual food, only for ways to get to our destination. How did you even pay for it anyways?"

"I paid with my own money, I took a bit from my allowance so I have more than enough to use it on essentials that we need. So since this was the case...I bought breakfast tacos for the both of us. Not the most appealing out there, but it's yummy."

Samus stared at the tin foil. She unwrapped it and took in the scent of cooked ham and eggs. Taking the first bite, she enjoyed the savoring taste. It's been a while since she even ate anything other than just protein bars. She noticed Zelda staring at her intently.

"You eat, okay?" Samus urged. "Trust me, I enjoyed it."

Zelda opened up her tin foil breakfast taco and joyfully took a bite out of it.

Before Samus took another bite, she looked over at Zelda and said, "After this, we'll get going okay? Get all of your things ready so we can go."

"Where will we go? They know about us, wouldn't they go after us on the plane?"

"I know they are so we're going to take a detour." The brunet next to her blinked, Samus could see the curiosity within those eyes of hers. "I have a friend, she can get us a boat to cross the sea and to the Mushroom Kingdom. They won't know so we'll get by easily."

"How do you know so many people?" Zelda asked her.

"It comes with all of the jobs that I take. I take on their job offers and get the money they pay me, after that I can ask for a favor and they will fufill that favor in whatever way they can."

"So it's 'you scratch my back then I scratch yours'?"

Samus nodded and stood up. Zelda finished her breakfast food and gathered up her things into her bag. They both left the room then returned the key to the inn manager from the front desk, afterward both women took another taxi cab. The ride was short and quiet with no one saying a word to each other. They arrived at the harbor where Zelda could see many ships, boats and the ocean that seemed to stretch on forever.

"I'll be back, I'm going to go find my friend." Samus left something in Zelda's hand and walked towards a building sitting off alone next to a cargo ship's docking sight.

Zelda looked down at her hand and saw that she was holding a whistle. The first instance she thought of using this object if she was ambushed by anyone she recognized in the shoot out. With the sudden fear rushing through her, she gripped the whistle tightly in her hand and watched everyone passing by her.

Samus knocked on the door and entering it soon afterward without waiting for permission. She saw a short man dressed in a yellow outfit with purple overalls and a yellow hat with a 'W' in the middle sitting behind a desk. The middle aged man took one look at Samus and snickered.

"Ah Samus, it has been a while my sweet," he said.

"Cut the chat Wario, I need one of your boats."

"Stingy as always. Never want to come and see me just to say hello."

Samus walked over to him and slammed a hand on his desk. "I'm in a rush and all I need is the fastest boat you've got."

Wario rummaged through his drawers in search for his boat's keys. "You're very hurtful, you know this?"

"Haven't heard anything new before."

"So while I'm finding the keys, I'm going to ask why you need it so I can make sure if you're going to trash it or if I can expect it back."

Leaning against the desk, Samus closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Got an assignment over at the Mushroom Kingdom."

"That's quite a ways away. Why not take a plane instead of risking my precious boat?"

"People are chasing us," she growled. She heard him snicker once more.

"Us? Oh Samus, you have an escort mission how sweet. Who's the lucky lassy? I bet she's a sweet ass I'm sure." The blond whipped her body around, shooting icy daggers at the middle aged man. "A'ight! Easy, calm the fuck down. Not like you to take offense on me hitting a nerve. Whoever this chick is must be worth it."

"It's not the chick," she spat. "I just need to take her there and bring her back. That's it."

"So what's it even worth?"

"Her old man says that he'll pay as much as I want."

That earned a hardy laugh from Wario. "He sounds like my kinda guy. I seriously need to get in touch with him and make a little offering on the old man."

Samus growled once again. "You will not."

"Sheesh, fine take it easy. Here's the keys." He tossed the keys to Samus and leaned back in his chair. "You know which one it is, but I swear to God Samus, if you wreck my boat I will find you and kick your ass."

Twirling the keys around, Samus headed to the door and said, "In your dreams fatass."

Upon stepping outside, she saw that Zelda was still standing at the same spot Samus had left her. She walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder causing the younger woman to jump. "Easy, it's just me."

"O-oh Samus, did you get what you need?"

"Yeah, have the keys right here. What are you doing?"

Zelda returned her gaze towards the ocean and sighed. "I'm scared. I've never been in this situation before."

"I can tell."

"I never had my life in danger just because I had to step outside of my dad's watchful eyes. I never knew it was like this, that it would ever get this far." Zelda wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm really scared."

Samus gently squeezed Zelda's shoulder. "Your father did ask for my help. Hate to sound egotistical but I'm the best there is, so don't worry."

"Samus..."

"Not come on, let's get going. I rather not risk staying out here in the open any longer." Samus begun to walk away with Zelda smiling and following right behind her.

They approached a long line of boats parked next to a dock. Samus noticed a yellow boat with a long narrow platform stretched outward. She scrunched up her nose, knowing that must be Wario's with his paint job as it is. She jumped on the boat and rocked back and forth then stood still until it calmed down. Samus held her hand out towards Zelda who gladly took it and carefully stepped on. Zelda sat down on one of the seats as Samus inserted the key in the slot and switched the boat on. Eventually Samus drove the boat out of the docks and away from the shorelines.

Zelda took in the salty sea air, not the most refreshing smell in the world but it was something different and that's something. She watched as the whole sea seemed to move in unison with one another, the waves mashing with one another and becoming larger than it once was. She took in the beauty of the sight, not just the waves but Samus. Her bodyguard had taken off her jacket revealing that she was wearing a tank top underneath. She seemed so relieved that she doesn't seem like the Samus Zelda was with the whole time.

Samus turned her head around and noticed Zelda was staring at her in a way that just made the blond shiver a bit. She shook it off and returned her gaze at the sea.

"So Samus," Zelda begun. "You do this a lot I see since you show excellent work on handling this vessel."

"Alright you're talking in a formal attitude, either something's on your mind or you just have something you need to ask me." Looking back, Samus saw the woman in question look away from her gaze. "Just ask."

"It's nothing I need to ask it's more of just a statement..." Zelda turned her body around and returned her view on the ocean around her. "I've never ridden on a boat before, much less than watch it rush past me. You've seen it a lot, haven't you? The world?"

"It's not as great as you're imagining it," Samus told her flatly.

"How so? It must be better than just staring at the same city for most of your life."

"It's not like you get a chance to experience it. You're always caught up with work because you're the best at it. Again, you don't really pay attention to any of the sights around you since they're not important to the job at hand. It's only about getting the job done as fast as you can so you can move on to the next one."

Zelda stared at Samus. "Surely you must at least take the time to take in everything when you're about to sleep at night."

"No, if you do then you just get overwhelmed. That happened to you last night, didn't it?" Samus felt the uncomfortable silence from the woman behind her. "That's why I don't think about it. I have a job to do and I don't need hesitation to endanger it any more than I have to deal with."

"My...I never really saw it that way. I guess it's not easy doing the things you do. I mean, it's not like you haven't really had it easy I bet but I mean more so than usual. I mean...oh Goddesses what am I even saying anymore.

"Hey, easy. Just calm down and breathe."

Zelda nodded her head and did as Samus told her to do. "How long do you think it would take us?"

Samus shrugged. "A while, I mean the two continents are connected but an ocean is somewhat separating them in between. That's why we would have taken the plane or boat because going around the sea would take us weeks. It may take us a day or two."

"Will the boat have what it takes?"

Samus snickered. "Yeah it will. I've seen this thing go on for weeks so I think this will do."

...

The rest of the day passed by in the blink of an eye. A few words were exchanged from one woman to the next but not much of a conversation went through. It didn't bore Zelda that it was quiet, she savored the roaring waves and the machine underneath her hum. As she said before, she never truly experienced the world around her like this. It felt exciting.

"Seems like you're enjoying this," Samus told her. "You really must have meant it when you said you never really did this."

"It's true that I haven't, but I really do enjoy it." Zelda spoke happily causing Samus to smile faintly.

 _'There they are!'_

Both Zelda and Samus raised their heads and noticed the jet plane fly above them. A blue canine jumped out of the aircraft and landed directly in the middle of the boat as Zelda took a step back. Samus quickly put the vehicle on autopilot and pulled out her pistol as she directly aimed the weapon at the canine. The canine stared at Zelda, his red eyes flashing a bright red color before blue aura engulfed his paws.

"Who are you!?" Samus barked.

"I am Lucario, and I have finally caught our target."

Zelda stood behind Samus. "Target?!"

"Die!"

Lucario disappeared in a blink of an eye and reappeared behind Samus, pressing one of his paws directly on Samus' back before blasting out his aura on the woman thus sending her across the boat and dropping her pistol. Zelda attempted to run past the canine only to feel her whole body come to a complete stop. Lucario lowered his paw which caused Zelda to fall down on one knee.

A woman landed directly in front of Zelda and smiled as she witnessed the scene before her. She ran her fingers through her short hair and pushed her glasses back in place with her two blue pistols. "It didn't take you long to find them, Lucario. Nice work, though you could have hurried up."

Lucario placed a paw on his chest and bowed his head. "My apologize my lady, though I had found their aura it took time to chase them down."

"No matter, we're here so let's kill them. Lucina should be pleased by this lovely news."

Samus picked her head up and watched in horror as the woman pointed one of the blue pistols at Zelda's temple. Zelda stared at her with the look of utter fear as tears built up in her eyes. Before the trigger could have been pulled, Samus jumped on her feet and tackled the woman away from Zelda.

"Oh my, feisty thing aren't cha?" the woman smirked. "I'm not sure I'm the type to try new things but if it's fun then why not?"

"Madame Bayonetta?!" Lucario turned. Zelda spun her legs around and brought Lucario on the ground with her. "You little-"

"I will not allow you to turn me into a puppet once again!" Zelda growled.

Zelda lunged and pinned down Lucario's paws against the floorboard. She sat right on top of him and repeatedly punched the canine in the face which proved hard as his flesh felt dense as iron. Each punch hurt both of them. Lucario placed a paw at Zelda's chest and released a large amount of aura and caused the brunet to cry out in pain.

"Get off!" Lucario roared.

"Make me!"

Samus wrapped her arms around Bayonetta's neck and tried to strangle the woman's neck. The woman in question wrapped her legs around Samus' waist and brought her body down. She twisted both of their bodies around and pinned Samus against the floor. Bayonetta pointed one of the pistols that rested on the back of her heel and pulled the trigger only for Samus to move away at the last moment. The bullet pierced through the hull of the boat and water begun to rush in.

"Madame Bayonetta! The boat!"

"No worries Lucario, I know what we can do." Bayonetta kicked Samus across the head, making the bodyguard loose her grip on her neck. She stood up on her feet and also kicked Zelda on the stomach and off of the canine. "I think it would be fun to watch you both burn on water. Never seen that happen but hey, first time for everything."

A rope ladder wad lowered right above the Bayonetta who she and Lucario graciously took a hold of. Samus rushed over to Zelda and nudged her to get up. Both woman watched as the jet was about to take off, Bayonetta winked at Samus who felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Zelda, hurry and jump off the boat."

"Wha-!?"

"Just do it!"

Taking the brunet's hand, both Samus and Zelda jumped into the water right as Bayonetta had shot a bullet through the boat's engine. The vessel had erupted into a large explosion as the debris knocked both women deeper into the water surrounding them. Bayonetta followed Lucario up into the jet and watched where the boat once stood engulfed in flames.

"That should be good enough," Bayonetta spoke as she sat in the passengers seat next to their pilot.

Lucario turned his head towards the woman and bowed. "Madame, I can still feel their aura."

"Tell me their status."

"One's weak, probably our target, while the other one is hanging onto consciousness."

Bayonetta tapped one of the pistols against her glasses and smirked. "No matter, maybe the weaker one will die. We were only given orders to track them down and stall, if we could kill them then it would just be a bonus."

"So, we just leave them be?" Lucario questioned, not seeming pleased with the answer his master had given him.

"Yeah, have a problem with that?"

"Orders were-"

"To stall." Bayonetta kicked her feet up and relaxed on the chair. "Lucina want them dead but she much prefer them dead by her hand. Fine by me since I have other things to take care of."

Lucario sighed as he watched the flames. "It's very hassling for them to just use us as tracking dogs."

"Implying that you're not one."

With a growl, Lucario spoke with a low impatient voice. "Let's just report back to Lucina and tell her that they're on their way towards her."

The plane had moved on and away from the wreckage. Zelda had reached up the surface and sucked in the air that has escaped her lungs. She continued to hold Samus' hand and pulled her above the waves realizing the woman she held was unconscious.

"Samus!?" Zelda called out. "Samus!"

Without getting a response from the blond, Zelda desperately looked around the wreckage and instead saw land not far off from her. No thought came into her mind as she pulled Samus closely and swam towards the shore. She peddled her legs as fast and hard as she could, praying, hoping that she would make it.

Upon an hour of peddling Zelda arrived on shore. She dragged the woman's unconscious body away from the water, her limbs ached, her mind raced, she wanted to collapse desperately. Thinking that she's far enough from the water, Zelda released Samus and collapsed right next to her. Not being able to keep herself awake any longer, she allowed the darkness to overcome her.

...

Water splashed Zelda's face and caused the woman to wake up from her unconscious state. She shot up and saw her bodyguard lay on the sand right next to her.

"Samus!" Zelda moved closely and placed a hand on Samus' cheek. "Samus?" she whispered. "Wake up, please."

Not noticing a single movement from the woman, Zelda leaned down and pressed her ear against Samus' chest. "She's alive...oh Samus, please get up. Get up!"

Samus' face scrunched up slightly only for her eyes to open. The first thing she saw were the worried eyes belonging to the girl she was supposed to be protecting. Samus sat up and pressed a palm to her forehead.

"Where are we?" Samus muttered.

"At a beach? I'm not sure but I believe we're in the Mushroom Kingdom," Zelda replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

"How did we get here? The last thing I remembered was being hit on the head from one of the debris and then I'm here."

Zelda placed her hands behind her back and looked away sheepishly. "Well...you see, I swam our bodies on shore."

"You're kidding me, you?"

Zelda crossed her arms. "Hard to believe?" she raised a brow.

"I mean, a little. Did you pass out after we got here?"

"Yes, I was really tired and I collapsed right next to you."

"I see..." Samus got up and took in the surroundings. "Doesn't seem like anyone's here. We have to get moving."

Zelda nodded. "Of course." As she stood back up and felt her knees buckle and she fell forward only to be caught in Samus' arms. "Ah...clumsy."

"No you're not, you're tired. It must be because you dragged my sorry ass out of the water."

Zelda shook her head in response. "No, I'm glad I was able to save you. You saved me on multiple occasions so I had to repay the favor!"

"Can you stand up on your own?" Samus asked her. Letting Zelda go, she took a step back and watched Zelda balance herself. After shifting side to side for a few seconds, the brunet gave her a reassuring smile. "Good, we'll find a another cab to take us downtown."

"Maybe we can just find some other way to get to the building?"

This time it was Samus' turn to shake her head. "We can't. We already wasted too much time as it is."

Zelda frowned at this. "You really do wish to finish this mission as soon as possible..." she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. It was nothing of importance."

...

Samus and Zelda entered the limits of Toad City. Over in the distance, they could see the castle in all it's glory. Zelda knew that the Mushroom Kingdom still had a monarchy in the rule of Princess Peach, a highly respective ruler in fact. She remembered hearing that Toad City was not a city in the beginning but a town. Toad Town. What a strange name to give it.

As the taxi cab passed by all of the buildings, roads, and highways, Zelda tried to imagine how such a small town turned into such a large and bustling city. Toad City seemed much more larger than any other city back in Hyrule, maybe it does deserve city in the name. One building caught her eye. It had her family's insignia with the three triangles. That must be the building their heading.

Samus noticed how tensed Zelda became once she took a quick glance at her. Before she could ask what was wrong she noticed the building with the three triangles. Samus vaguely remembered the same symbols in the middle of the lobby back in the industries building and in Daphness' office. What were those exactly? Samus held Zelda's hand who turned her head only to meet Samus' eyes.

"Are you okay?" Samus asked Zelda.

"I'm just nervous. I've never been in a different factory before. Much less one that belongs to my father in a different country." Zelda took one last gaze at the building before it disappeared behind other buildings.

"Those triangles, what are they? I saw them frequently back where I met you."

"It's called the Triforce, it's more of a religious standpoint in a few people in Hyrule. My father adopted it as the family insignia."

Samus nodded her head. "So you knew that building belongs to your father because of the symbol?"

"Naturally. Not to mention it's one of the few things that more-so belongs to Hyrule."

Samus tilted her head to the word belong. What did she mean when it belonged to Hyrule? Is it because of the religous belief that the Triforce stood for? Zelda noticed the confused look on Samus' face and cleared her throat.

"The Triforce belongs to Hyrule more so because the whole religion itself was started and practiced more in Hyrule. But it's not to say that people in other countries are not allowed to practice it. It is encouraged but never forced upon. I'm not sure what people in the Mushroom Kingdom praise, but I know the people in Hyrule praise three goddesses."

"Wow, I never really saw anything like that. It kind of explains why the apartment has that symbol as well."

Zelda turned her head. "Really? It had it? I never really saw it when we arrived there."

Samus shrugged. "It's hard to see when the lobby is messed up."

Zelda took a pause before asking her question. "Why is it in such shambles?"

"No one cares for apartments in a part of the city where people live in the slums."

"That doesn't mean you need to live there..." Zelda placed a hand on Samus' shoulder. "Is there no way to fix it up?"

Samus shook off her hand and huffed. "All the money in the world couldn't help."

Then it clicked. "You're not trying to just get the money for yourself. You wanted to fix up the apartment and the area itself."

"Believe whatever you want to believe."

Zelda giggled. "My, my Samus, I never took you for the type to help. That's so sweet of you."

Samus' cheeks flared. With her eyes closed shut to hide the embarrassment, she shoved the girl to the other side of the seats. "Okay, that's enough of you."

"Maybe we can be friends after all." Samus gazed over at Zelda who that this look on her face, a look of longing. "In all honesty...I am going to be sad once all this is over. Maybe we won't see each other again after this..."

'Is that what she was worried about?' "Hey, um, who knows. Maybe we can keep in touch after this."

The mood in the air shifted. Zelda's eyes shined having hope practically visible in those sapphire orbs of hers. "You really think so?"

Smiling faintly, Samus chuckled and replied with, "I know so."

The rest of the cab ride was quiet, a peaceful silence for both women. As they got closer and closer towards their destination, Samus couldn't shake the awful feeling that something was going to happen. Was it when they arrive, or was it on their way home? Either way, Samus kept her hand on her pistol the closer they get. As for Zelda, the feeling of dread had also taken a hold of her. She too felt like something was going to happen and it won't be a good feeling.

The cab had stopped right in front of the Hylia Industries building that they had been aiming for a while. It's the sister building that needed to be looked over by the CEO's daughter. Samus stared at Zelda who also returned the look of apprehension. Samus offered a sincere smile which caused the girl next to her to relax herself. It's time to go in.

As both women walked in, they were first greeted by darkness. It was quiet, terribly quiet. Something in the back of Samus' mind warned the woman to take hold of the pistol in her pocket. She was about to do so until she heard shuffling behind her.

"Zelda, was that you moving?"

The younger girl held onto Samus' arm which turned down her thought. "What's going on...? Why is it so eery?"

"I'm not sure. No matter what, stay close to me."

Samus took a few steps with Zelda following behind who still held onto her arm. There was an echoed laughed followed by the lights turning on. Several men surrounded both women with their own pistols pointed towards them, one of those was the blue haired woman that nearly got them before at the alley. Lucina. Luigi stood next to her with his arms lowered at his sides along with his gaze at the ground.

Samus gritted her teeth as she felt herself stand in front of Zelda. "Great an ambush, and here I thought you ran out of ideas to catch us."

Lucina shrugged her shoulders. "You say that and yet you both were so close to death." She waved her hand dismissively and glared at the two women. "It may be a cheap way but I still have you right where I want you. Men, kill the girl and don't let her get away this time!"

"Zelda, hide anywhere you can. If anyone sees you just run in a zigzag."

"But Samus-"

"Run!"

The men were about to shoot at them until Samus pulled out her pistol and shot down all seven of men in front of her. Zelda took off running with the remaining five men standing there thinking whether they should go after the girl or kill the woman who could kill them instead. Right as one of the men was about to chase after Zelda, Samus shot him down followed by the last remaining four followed him right into death.

Lucina growled to herself and pulled out a pistol of her own. "Never let idiots do your job."

"Then you did a great job thinking this far," Samus chuckled.

Lucina tucked her weapon away and crossed her arms. "Why not have a little of a fun challenge if you think you can handle it, fits against fists."

"You must be delusional if you think I'll actually oblige to that offer!" Samus spat as she aimed her pistol at Lucina and shot her only to miss completely. "The hell-"

Lucina ran over to Samus who stood there in disbelief and punched her in the gut. The bodyguard's eyes widened and she doubled over to clutch her stomach in pain.

"It would have been more fun that way," Lucina chuckled. "At least, a little more interesting. Luigi, get the girl."

Luigi stood up straight and nodded his head furiously. "Y-yes ma'm!" He patted his cap and ran towards the direction Zelda ran off to.

Before Samus could regain her senses, Lucina delivered a kick to her abdomen which only furthered the pain Samus felt. Lucina took the pistol from Samus' hand and hit her on the back of her head with the handle. Samus dropped to her side, feeling the intense pain from the back of her head.

"I thought you would have been tougher Ms. Aran." Samus pushed herself up only to have another blow by the handle on her back. "You disappointed me."

Zelda poked her head from behind a wall. Knowing that she had to help Samus, she quietly jogged towards Lucina from behind and grabbed the woman's pistol that was tucked away in her pocket. The blue haired woman felt the pistol removed and turned her head around only to hear a loud ringing in her ears.

"Lucina!" Luigi cried out.

Lucina stepped back and stared at the wound at her stomach dropping Samus' pistol. Zelda felt her hands tremble and she dropped the weapon from her hand feeling her legs become very weak at the sight of the blood staining Lucina's clothing. Lucina glared at Zelda and almost jumped at her until she was shot once again through the stomach by Samus. The blue haired woman dropped down to the ground.

Samus stood back up on her feet and glared at Luigi. "Do you still want to go after the girl or would you like to suffer the same fate as your friend?"

Luigi shook his head. "N-No ma'm."

"Now take your friend's corpse and leave!"

"Y-Yes ma'm!" With his trembling feet guiding him, he walked over to Lucina's motionless body and carried the woman in his arms. He tipped his hat down and walked out of the building leaving Samus and Zelda alone.

Samus turned towards Zelda and smirked. "You saved my life again, we must really stop exchanging jobs like this." Zelda said no word however, which worried Samus slightly. She noticed how Zelda's legs buckled and quickly jumped in and caught her. "Easy, easy! Are you okay?! Were you hurt?!" Samus asked almost screaming in a panic.

"No..I wasn't hurt, I-I'm fine..." Zelda's voice quivered. "Just...not used to actually shooting a gun...or-even killing anyone."

"Hey..." Samus begun, "she seemed to be the ring leader of this assassination. It seems as if it may be over now." Samus brought a hand on Zelda's hair and brushed it gently instantly bringing comfort to Samus as much as it did to Zelda. With a smile on her lips, Samus slightly pulled back and stared at Zelda directly in her sapphire eyes. "Why don't we just hurry and just go on to doing what you have to do?"

Before Zelda could get a word out, a bullet pierced through Zelda's back and straight into Samus' chest. Samus' eyes grew wide as she felt the horrid pain searing across her chest. She knew this was the end and there is no way to get around this. Her eyes met with Zelda's teary filled eyes, Zelda smiled sadly knowing that this is the end for both of them.

All Zelda could mutter was a brief "thank you," before gently placing her lips upon Samus'. The bodyguard tasted blood. Blood and her own tears. Both women collapsed on the ground, Samus felt sleepy and Zelda's body already grew cold in her arms.

It wasn't supposed to end like this. Not like this.

"I guess you had to suffer as collateral damage," a familiar deep voice echoed in the room. "No matter, you tried your best to protect her but I'm guessing it was all for nothing." Every fiber of Samus' being felt boiling hot rage as her eyes set on Daphness. He chuckled and tossed his handgun aside. "Hello Samus Aran, I hope death has a loving embrace for you and my daughter."

"Your...you..." she gasped. "I'm sorry...Ze-Zelda."

This is it. The end for her life. Samus held onto Zelda's body as her last bit of consciousness was stripped away from her forever.


End file.
